WATCH: As Calgary city council looks at lowering some residential speed limits, other communities have already done so. As Carolyn Kury de Castillo reports, the mayor of Airdire is calling the move to 30 km/h a no brainer.

The 30 km/h speed limit signs in Airdrie have been around longer than many homeowners may realize.

The city dropped the residential speed limit in 1982. Airdrie Mayor Peter Brown said he hasn’t had any complaints about the speed for the past five years and says, for the most part, people are obeying the posted limit.

He pointed to the increased survivability rates that come with lower speed limits as to why he would recommend the change for the neighbouring city of Calgary.

Councillors in Calgary are debating reducing the speed limit on some residential streets from 50 km/h to 30.

“Obviously it feels like you are slowing down considerably especially when you’re coming off a 60 km/h and somebody says drop it to 30,” said Airdrie resident Donna Aaskow.

“You feel like you’re in a bit of a crawl but it’s safety first, kids are still important and they jump out from behind cars. This is a residential community, it’s not a race track.”

Calgary’s mayor says over the past week, council has had a lot of what he calls a helpful discussion on the topic.

“Pedestrians are texting too much, drivers are inattentive, parents don’t know how to raise the kids — all of that is completely irrelevant,” Naheed Nenshi said.

“The point is for the very small part of your commute, the part where you’re in a cul-de-sac or a close within your own neighbourhood, should you go slower? And I think everybody agrees that is the right thing to do.”

Nenshi said the vast majority of a person’s commute would not be affected. He’s calling for a 30 km/h speed limit because that’s what scientific studies have determined is the best for safety, but said moving to 40 km/h would be a step in the right direction.

Okotoks reduced residential speed limits to 40 km/h in 2015 and several streets in Cochrane were reduced to 30 km/h in August of this year.